The release of radioactive material into the environment is a compelling problem. Radioactive wastes are typically the by-products of nuclear power generation and other systems that rely upon nuclear fission or nuclear technology. Radioactive contamination may also be extremely problematic when damage occurs to a nuclear power generating station, such as the 2011 damage to the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power generating station in Japan. This resulted in the atmospheric release of radioactive material and widespread contamination of earth surface materials, such as soil and the minerals contained therein.
Remediation alternatives are reported in the literature for the removal of radioactive contamination. However, a need still exists to provide more efficient remediation protocols that would be particularly applicable to the targeted recovery of relatively volatile radioactive waste material in earth surface and near-surface materials that have absorbed or adsorbed such contamination. Accordingly, one of several objects herein is to provide a process that may be implemented directly to a contaminated surface without the need to physically collect the surface material and treat for radioactive pollution.